Abstract
This research explored how early childhood science education contributes to developing children’s understanding of sustainability, with a particular focus on the concept of the carbon footprint as a tangible indicator of environmental impact. Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 award-winning science teachers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, while data was analyzed through grounded theory methodology. Findings revealed that effective integration of sustainability in early science education is achieved when teachers contextualize the carbon footprint concept through everyday classroom activities, link science lessons to real environmental issues, and engage children in experiential learning such as energy-saving practices and waste reduction. The research also revealed that sociocultural factors influence teachers’ implementation of sustainability concepts, highlighting both innovative practices and structural challenges. The research contributes to providing an empirically grounded framework for embedding sustainability and carbon footprint education in early childhood curricula. It recommends designing teacher training programs that equip teachers with practical, developmentally appropriate strategies to promote environmental culture and sustainable behavior from an early age.
Data availability
The authors will make the raw data supporting the conclusions of this article available upon request, without any undue restrictions. Requests for access to the raw data should be directed to Ali Ahmad Al-Barakat (aalbarakat@sharjah.ac.ae).
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Acknowledgements
The authors from Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University express their gratitude to the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project (PNURSP2025R580), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the authors at the King Faisal University thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University for providing financial support under project number [KFU254809]. All authors also extend their sincere appreciation to the participants of this study for their time and valuable contributions.
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This article is financially supported by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman and University and King Faisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Conceptualization, A.A.A. and R.A.; methodology, A.A.A.; software, S.A.; validation, T.A., A.K.A., and A.Z.; formal analysis, A.A.; investigation, R.A.; resources, S.A.; data curation, T.A.; writing—original draft preparation, A.K.A., and R.A.; writing—review and editing, A.A.A., S.A., and R.A.; visualization, T.A., and A.Z.; supervision, A.A.A.; project administration, R.A.; funding acquisition, S.A., A.Z., and R.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of King Faisal University protocol code KFU-REC-2024 Sep.-EA000735 and date of approval was 15 September 2024.
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Al-Barakat, A.A., AlAli, R.M., Alotaibi, S.B. et al. The contribution of early science education in developing children awareness of carbon footprints. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34469-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34469-3